Wildfire Smoke Brings Hazy Skies To Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Wildfire smoke from the Chileno Fire could affect air quality in Marin County through Monday, the Bay Area Air District said.

Marin County authorities said Sunday evening that fires in the Chileno Valley have been stopped. Firefighters contained one of the smaller fires Sunday at about 4:50 p.m.

At 6:58 p.m., firefighters contained the two remaining vegetation fires.

As of Monday at 11 a.m. the Chileno fires had burned about 340 acres combined and no evacuations were ordered. Authorities said they will be investigating the source of the blaze. No evacuations were ordered.

Smoke is currently affecting parts of Marin and Sonoma counties and could spread into Napa and Solano counties. Smoky or hazy skies and the smell of smoke may be noticeable, although smoke is expected to remain mostly aloft.

The Air District said 24-hour average smoke concentrations are not expected to exceed the national health standard. However, conditions can change quickly and ground-level smoke can be difficult to predict.

Wildfire smoke contains fine particles and other pollutants that can irritate the eyes and airways and worsen conditions such as asthma and COPD, officials said. Children, older adults and people with respiratory illnesses are particularly vulnerable.

Residents should keep windows and doors closed when smoke levels rise and use indoor air filtration when available, officials said.

People who must spend time outdoors can consider a well-fitting N95 or KN95 mask, officials said.

Residents can monitor local air quality through the following resources:

• PurpleAir
• Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District
• Bay Area Air Quality Management District
• EPA AirNow